Another Day at the Office
by BlackPuma137
Summary: They're sitting across from each other on the couch, and it's unbearable, really, the space between them. He wants to scream, to yell, because he's rather sick of this playing pretend, this "Mr. Stark" and "Ms. Potts". Rated M for language, movie verse.
1. Another Day At The Office

**Another Day At the Office**

_Only a one-shot, because otherwise, fans of my other (neglected) stories might just kill me. Carried on with the wonderful, addicting, amazing Animal by Neon Trees. Listen to it while you're reading! And please, please, PLEASE review :) Somewhere between coming home from Afghan and going to the benefit. Or just fit in where appropriate (it could fit in between the first and second movie, or the first movie and before the kiss in the second movie).Rated M for the awful potty-mouth I've acquired (quite frankly, though, it fits)._

Just a friend. Just a friend. Just a friend. Tony repeated his mantra, over and over again in his head. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to restrain himself. No, he wouldn't. And he was quite sure his lawyer didn't want yet another sexual harassment case. (At least not until he finished with the last one.) Really, he didn't even want her for a just roll in the hay (even though he certainly wouldn't object to one). The truth was, he _wanted_ her. _Forever_.

To be perfectly honest, he didn't want any Monica Lewinski jokes and a press bonanza—not for her, not for him. But goddamn it! Did she have to have hair that shade of red? Or have that exact sprinkling of freckles? Or have those sexy, toned, anti-anorexic legs? (Rather refreshing, that.) Or wear those ridiculously professional, sexy suits? He couldn't even find a slut that looked like her to fuck and pretend it was her. It was really fucking fantastic, wasn't it? He had to find a blatantly off-limits woman who was original, lovely, kind, and sexy all at once and freaking fall for her. She even knows his every flaw and doesn't mind—she still works for him, is still his friend, still sees the good in him. And let's face it—no one else, excepting Hogan and Platypus, have done that.

Fuck. Her lip gloss is basically begging him to kiss her. And her _perfume!_

Shit. Pepper was briefing him over appointments and he wasn't listening...again. It's been 10 years, and she knows by now when he is and isn't paying attention. She launches into a lecture about responsibility...again. Maybe he should fire her, then ask her to date. No, no, that's ridiculous. Because then he wouldn't be with her 24/7 anymore...he wants to be more than friends, yet he's quite sure she'll never even consider it when she's still working for him. They're sitting across from each other on the couch, and it's unbearable, really, the space between them. He wants to scream, to yell, because he's rather sick of this playing pretend, this "Mr. Stark" and "Ms. Potts". Doesn't she know she has his heart? What the fuck is she waiting for?

Heh-heh. "Fuck." Funny word. A nice obscenity, but exactly what he wants to do with her. Well, hopefully a bit more.

Really, what ever possessed him to hire her? And how was he able to resist all these years? Dear God, this is going to kill him. He wants more of her, more of _them_, but it's not going to happen. He sighs, because the only way he's going to stop thinking about her and get any sleep tonight is getting shit-faced. Which means another lecture from her _and_ a hangover. The hangover he could deal with, and then again, another lecture means he gets to spend time with her again...maybe this plan has a better outlook than he thinks.

Oh dear, now she's bothering him about those goddamn benefits and ceremonies five months from now. Quite frankly, the only thing he wants to do five months from now is buy a yacht and sail around the world with her and JARVIS. He's ridiculously dependent on both of them. Then again, he's selfish and petty enough to love that she has to deal with this stuff and lecture him about it, because that means he's the center of the world for her. Yes, that rather does comfort him. Too bad he can't tell her. Not just that he wants her, but that he hopes he's the center of her world. Because he doesn't want her to see all of his flaws...she might run away then, and he's not yet entirely prepared for that either. Hell, he just might die if she did.

* * *

Pepper wants to roll her eyes, scream at the world, shake Tony so hard his arc-reactor falls out of his chest. _He's not listening again!_ Argh, argh, argh. It's not like she _wants_ to go to all these events, talk to the board, deal with the press, have these endless meetings or deal with the endless list of tasks. If it was her choice, in five months she'd be on yacht, traveling the world, with JARVIS dealing with all this shit, instead of attending some MIT ceremony. Crap—now she has an image of Tony is his swimming trunks. Goddamn it. She glances up from her tablet displaying the to-do list, and she realizes he's not paying any attention—as usual. His eyes are glazed over, he has a ridiculous grin on his face, and his fingers are still—usually, with this kind of debriefing, he'd be impatient and his hands would be constantly moving (a side effect of being a genius that works with tools—his machines being his second favorite thing to work on). She lets out a harrumph, which makes Tony look up and grimace. She puts on her let's-get-to-work-and-stop-fucking-around-because-it's-your-company-and-if-I-have-to-deal-with-it,-so-do-you face, but when she suddenly sees a spark a of lust in his gorgeous brown eyes, she narrows his eyes. She understand not being interested in this list of boring things he has to deal with, but really? Thinking about some slut he wants to fuck _now_? Couldn't he at least wait until tonight, when he's (most likely) going to go clubbing, to think about that?

Then again, it shouldn't even bother her. She's not jealous of the girls (in five years, they'll most likely be prostitutes or have some such social status), but it perplexes her that she hates when he's wasting his time with someone other than...

No, she's not going to finish that sentence. This is work, this is work, this is _work_. The reason she hates that he wastes his time with them is because she hates wasting his money on dry cleaning their dirty clothes.

Why can't he just be mature enough to have a real relationship? Yes, she supposes that's the real problem with it. Why can't he just show he's mature enough, he's responsible enough to think without his dick playing a part of it? How could she expect to have a relationship with—wait? Where the hell was that from? She doesn't want any kind of relationship with him. Nope, not at all. Because, really, she would dread the Monica Lewinski jokes at work. She has a reputation to uphold, a professional outlook to maintain, and he needs responsibility in general, not just his personal life.

"Tony, really, you can't have a company and then just leave it for me to run. Honestly, can't you be a bit more responsible?" She continues with her lecture; hopefully it'll knock some sense into him. And honestly, if she gets another call from MIT or Disney or Ronald McDonald Foundation or whatever, she's going to cancel his funds to every damn place he sends his money to.

Halfway through her diatribe, though, of course his phone rings, and of course he takes it—it's Rhodey, how could he not? His pleading expression makes her want to laugh out loud—he's really rather childish sometimes—and so, she finds herself fighting a smile, rolling her eyes, and conceding. Of course, because it's Tony, he suddenly has an idea for his suit from something Rhodey says and so Pepper fakes a huff and a pout and goes back to calling board directors and MIT and whatever foundation else. Of course, she doesn't forget to check out his ass when he leaves. She never does.

And you know, sometimes she does wonder. What it would be like, that is. To sleep with him. She's not a prude. Naturally it'd have to be pretty amazing, the way girls (and guys) line up for him. What it would be like to wake up in his bed, breathing in his scent...except, she'd rather not prefer a version of her throwing her out. No, because no matter what Tony said or did, she couldn't stay away—he always seemed to pull her back with those sexy brown eyes of his. You could drown in those. And after sleeping with him, they might not work out...and she wasn't prepared for that. She just might die if she had to go.


	2. Distractions

_Thanks for reviewing! I really appreciate it. I decided to make this a series of one-shots, all centering around the theme of Tony and Pepper in the office (what _kind_ of work they're up to, however, is unknown). Please review and leave me any story ideas—otherwise there just might be no chapter three ;) And yes, that was a blatant beg for reveiws. Give me a flame even, just as long as you give me some constructive crit ;) For some reason, I feel like I have really messed up the past and future tense here, so I really need opinions!_

**Distractions**

Once again, they were ten minutes late for a meeting. A meeting canceled ten times. And once again, they—no, _Tony_, was procrastinating by distracting her.

Or, to be more accurate, he was standing behind her (close enough to feel his..._ahem_...pressing into her), arms wrapped around her waist, kissing his way up her neck, to her ear, where he would give a gentle lick...down her neck, up her neck, to her ear, lick, down her neck...Did she mention it was _really_ distracting?

"Tony..."

"Mmm..._Pepper._" Just a little pause, but her neck is already protesting at the absence of his attentions.

No, no, she's supposed to be working. Working. They promised each other to remain professional at work, and Pepper wasn't one to break promises.

"Tony! I mean it!" She's relishing the time he doesn't talk...his mouth has other much more useful employments.

"So do I..._believe_ me."

"You know exactly how I feel about this at work. We're supposed to be professionals, remember?"

"You know, you're right."

"Really? You're actually agreeing with me?"

"Of course; it's really done best against the wall." Yum.

"_Tony!_"

"Okay, okay."

"Seriously, I have work to do and meetings to go to, not to mention that your work as a superhero—oohh..." Sucking her ear.

"You were saying?"

"Tony, _please_-"

"Babe, I _love_ it when you beg."

"Honestly, I'm _trying_ to do my job but when your doing _that_ to me, I can't get _any_ work done."

"I think that's the point."

"Look, it's taken me ten minutes to clean up your desk and find that damn paper for the meeting."

"That's because I'm dirty."

"Ha-ha. It's because you keep distracting me from work!"

"I don't see the problem with that."

"Come on! We can't make out like teenagers and—oohh...Tony, _please_, you're going to give me a hickey."

"I can find a much more subtle place to give you a hickey if that's what you're going at."

"Tony, come on, what if someone walks in? I'd rather not display my bra to the whole world. Come on! Stop it!" She laughs, but she's desperately trying to button her blouse back up.

Of course, she's still fixing the top button when her secretary walks in. Just her luck.

"Miss...Potts?" Giggling. "Would you like me to come at a later time? When you're more..." More giggling. And trailing off. And gesturing hands.

"Yes," Tony smirked. "Yes, she would."

Perfect.

"No, no, it's fine." Of course, struggling to get that last damn button. "Really, it's fine. Tony—Mr. Stark—was just leaving. I'll be right with you." She swats his arms away and turns around, but he's standing so close to her, she ends up centimeters from his face. He puts his arms around her waist again, trapping her effectively between him and the desk.

His smirk grows larger, and Pepper can plainly see the hunger in his eyes. "Come on, send her off. We have much more..._exciting_ things to do," he whispered, in a rather husky voice that makes her want to do just that.

No! She'd lobbied for this meeting over ten times, organized it to perfection ten times, and stressed ten times more than necessary over it; it was _going_ to happen.

"Tony, I swear to God if I have to cancel that meeting one more time, I will cut your freaking balls off."

"Oh, feisty, I love it..."

She rolled her eyes and put on a serious expression. "Come on, Tony, I don't have time for this. I'll make it up to you, I promise," she added seductively, tracing his jaw line with the the tip of her fingernail. He caught her finger as she traced his mouth, and gently nibbled on it. "I _promise_," she emphasized, before pulling her finger out.

He narrowed his eyes and affected a pout (looking rather dashing, she must admit) but she rolled her eyes again and shoved against his chest to let her out of the trap of his arms—just a little bit, but hard enough to feel the edges of the arc reactor. He pouted again, but this time Pepper has had enough. She shoved a little harder this time, and Tony, being unprepared, fell to the ground. She saw it as if in slow motion: his eyes becoming wide, having nothing to grab to, then grabbing her arm instinctively...

Until they both land on the floor, Pepper on top. They look at each other...

...and begin laughing hysterically.

* * *

Pepper's secretary slowly backed out of Mr. Stark's office, smiling to herself. Looks like she's going to end up canceling that meeting after all.


	3. The Gift: I

**The Gift I**

_Author's Note: Sorry for the wait. Here for your pleasure, though, is The Gift, part one of three. Updates will be quick, I promise this time. The time period in this is after the second movie, when they're girlfriend and boyfriend. Whether they live together or not, or have had sex yet, is up to you. I probably didn't mention where the first chapter was located, btw, but it occurs in Tony's living room. Since they often work there, I kind of consider it their home "office". This is located in their actual office. I don't know if Pepper has her own office, but she does now. Located right next to Tony's, actually._

Pepper was not having a good week. Then again, she never _really_ had a good week, to be honest. After all, she has to deal with a 6 year old who owns a weaponized suit and plays super hero, his company (which he abandons on a regular basis), and being his mother/girlfriend (when he turns back into an adult). But then again, considering all that, she was having an okay day. After all, she hadn't been kidnapped today, didn't have to deal with a press conference, had only 20 calls so far from the press, Tony hadn't had a mission yet, and she had only five meetings to go to today. So, basically, she was having a vacation.

That is, until she saw the gift from Tony lying on her desk.

Now, don't get her wrong, she loved the gifts Tony left on her desk. It was a tradition he had started whenever he left for a mission, and then something he did every weekday after they got together.

At first, though, she had felt insecure about them. After all, money meant nothing to Tony. It was something he threw at his one-night stands regularly—lavish diamonds, designer dresses and heels worth more than her former rent payments, spa packages, and even houses. But then she noticed something: they were all small (though no doubt expensive or even homemade by Tony), they all made her day that much better or made her laugh, and they all centered around her and Tony—with the only exception of clothes or heels; _they_ usually were bribes to get her to come with him to this or that event. (Although, to be honest, he need only ask her.)

But the thing that most convinced her that Tony truly mean it? The way it was wrapped.

At first she didn't notice. But after the third gift, she saw that the bow on her package was slightly lopsided. Normally she'd have written it off. But then she noticed the clumsy way it was wrapped: sometimes too big or too small for the gift, something always peeking out at the sides, extra tape. It was never perfectly wrapped—the way the people at the store wrapped it. She suspected Tony himself wrapped each and every gift, something he never does. (It certainly helped her suscipions when Tony came up from his workshop one day, hands covered in tape and an embarassed look on his adorable face.) For a man to do somethingsosmall and so average, when he could afford people to do it for him...well, that act meant everything for her.

But today...well, today, his gift was unbelievable. And _not_ in a good way.


	4. The Gift: II

_Author's Note: Told you I'd update soon! The format for this chapter has changed a little, courtesy of SilverHeart09, who came up with this format. ALL credit goes to her! Please, go read her amazing stories. _

_Btw, bossman is Tony Stark, pepperpot is Pepper, blkwidow is Natalie, airForce is Rhodey, and the last three are heads of departments. In my mind, Tony Stark basically created a network akin to Twitter or Facebook for SI employees in which they log on/off using computers ("indicated by _is/has logged on to/off Stark Industries Network") or log on/off using phones (indicated by "_ is/has logged on to/off Stark Industries Network using bbm/iPhone")._

**The Gift II  
**

As soon as she walked in, she felt her face turn, bright, bright red. There was no way this was happening. There was no way he would do this to her.

But, as hard as she tried to make it disapear, it was still lying there.

A horribly sexy, horribly inappropriate black lace confection: every single piece of lingerie man has ever created in the same pattern of black lace, laid out to see on her desk.

As she stared at it in disbelief, the very important head of each department walked in for a meeting. As their eyes fell on the desk, all of them turned either bright red, laughed, or...well, their pants became a little bit more restricting.

This was _not_ funny.

**bossman is logged on to Stark Industries Network**

**pepperpot has logged on to Stark Industries Network using bbm**

**pepperpot**: wtf Tony?

**Bossman**: :)

**pepperpot**: this is not the time for smilies

**Bossman: **I take it you got my gift? ;;)

**pepperpot**: not only does that smiley not exist, it doesn't help

**Bossman**: it always helps.

**pepperpot**: o_0 you need help. Serious, serious help. Especially if you leave a gift like that—unwrapped, btw—on my _desk_! AND I HAD A VERY IMPORTANT MEETING!

**Bossman**: oh, please, pep, it's not like nobody knows we're together

**pepperpot**: that's not the point!

**Bossman**: then what _is_ the point?

**pepperpot**: the fact that I worked for 10 years to build up a kick-ass career like that, and you leave _that gift_ on my desk!

**Bossman**: so you're saying you don't like it? :((

**pepperpot**: i'm saying, don't leave it out for everyone to see!

**Bossman**: mm you haven't said you didn't like it! ;))

**blkwidow has logged on to Stark Industries Network using bbm**

**blkwidow**: so that's why there's black lingerie on your desk...thought maybe you and tony..._ahem_

**pepperpot: **THAT'S WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT!

**Bossman**: 'sup natalie?

**blkwidow**: I was actually just visiting pep

**Bossman**: let me guess, fury gave you clearance to keep using the si network to check up on me?

**blkwidow**: hell yeah.

**Bossman**: hum. Last time I checked, I only wanted si employees on here.

**blkwidow**: last time _I_ checked, I can still beat your ass.

**airForce has logged on to Stark Industries Network using the iPhone**

**airForce: **what's up with the black lingerie on pep's desk?

**Bossman**: me and pep were having some fun this morning ;)

**pepperpot**: anthony edward stark, i'm going to kill you

**Bossman**: natalie, rhodey, back me up on this one

**airForce**: def. not

**blkwidow**: sorry, tin man

**Bossman**: -_-

**pepperpot**: where are you?

**Bossman**: my office. Coming to spank me? ;)

**pepperpot has logged off Stark Industries Network**

**Bossman**: do you think I should remind her I'm having a uber important board meeting as of now in my office?

**blkwidow**: she is going to murder you

**airForce**: I'll bring the popcorn

**blkwidow**: yum, i've got the milk duds covered

**Bossman has logged off Stark Industries Network**

**airForce has logged off Stark Industries Network**

**blkwidow has logged off Stark Industries Network**

**securityman has logged on to Stark Industries Network**

**arcdivision has logged on to Stark Industries Network**

**unmanned has logged on to Stark Industries Network**

**securityman: **meeting of my life this morning. Black lingerie anyone?

**Arcdivision:** bom chicka wow wow

**unmanned:** rofl


	5. The Gift: III

_Author's Note: Wow, I'm on a role today. Obviously when she mentions messaging Tony, that was last chapter. That messaging, btw, occurred during the meeting with the heads of departments. Which is why Pepper seemed a bit out of the conversation—she's a good assistant, after all, and pays attention during meetings. Mostly. And this is after the meeting. Comprendo? One more thing—there's REALLY bad language here so BE WARNED! Also, "the last time we were in this office together" refers to Distractions, and who can figure out the allusion to chapter one? Shamelessly making you guys review, but I'm not ashamed ;)_

**The Gift III**

Unbelievable. Unbe-fucking-lievable. What the hell was he thinking? She finished the meeting with as much dignity as she could and messaged Tony, then began making her way to his office. She stomped out her office—ignoring the scared looks on the interns—and barged into Tony's. Pepper had her eyes only for Tony, who was grinning at the computer screen at his desk.

"Tony," she spat. "What the fuck were you _thinking_?"

He looked up, and Pepper thought she could see a hint of dread in his eyes. But when the expression turned to amusement, she got past angry—no, now she was _irate._

"You think this is _funny_?"

Tony shook his head, an innocent look on his face, his eyes slowly turning puppy dog.

"Tony, don't even _try_ to go there. Don't try to charm me with your puppy dog eyes into letting this go. No _fucking_ way. How _dare_ you put _lingerie on my desk,_ in the middle of a workday! Jeez, Tony, are you _kidding_ me? Do you not have the decency to even _think_, for one _second_, about how I'm going to received in the workplace after a stunt like that? No, of course not, because you're fucking Iron Man, and oh! You go save the world on a regular basis! And when you come back from saving the people of the world, you neglect saving your personal assistant and girlfriend's career! Why? Because you wanted to give me black lingerie. Honestly? Honestly? Tony, when I became your girlfriend, I did not agree to you embarrassing me in front of the entire company! I love you, Tony, I really, really, _really_ do. But we also agreed to have some kind of personal life/work balance here. And putting lingerie on my desk? That is upsetting the balance." Pepper drew a breath. "And don't expect me, by the way, to wear that goddamn lingerie after this. Especially considering the last time we were in this office together. I'm still recovering from those goddamn Monica Lewinsky jokes. Unlike you, I have to deal with the gossip in the break room._ I_ don't make my personal assistant run and get coffee all the time." Another breath. "All I'm asking, Tony, is you to respect me at work. And this does not include treating me like the slut the board members all fuck. Don't bother looking surprised, I heard all about the last board member's meeting in New York."

Tony drew a breath, trying not to laugh. He gestured to his left. "Umm, Pepper, these are the board members of Stark Industries. Board members, this is my personal assistant, and as you've gathered by now, my girlfriend."

Pepper's heart froze. She slowly turned her head and looked to see a group of 30 middle-aged men gaping at her. She felt herself turn red, then nodded at them. Surprised, they nodded back, and slowly, she turned and walked out with all the dignity she had left.

She was going to **_murder_** him.

* * *

As she walked back to her office, she saw Natalie and Rhodey sharing a box of popcorn and laughing hysterically. Narrowing her eyes, she turned to them. "Yes?"

Natalie and Rhodey looked at each other, and Pepper didn't fail to see the guilt pass between them.

"Nothing," they replied simultaneously, trying and failing to pull innocent expressions.

"You knew, didn't you?"

"Yup," Natalie replied.

"I hate you both so much."


	6. The Gift: IV

**The Gift IV**

_PLEASE READ!_

_Author's Note: In response to __Anonymous, though I realize you are probably not reading this, I want to say this anyways. I do not mean to be sexist or pass off any cruel behavior as acceptable or humorous. That being said, I do not believe Tony's act to be sexist or cruel. Yes, if I had been Pepper and working in a company like that, I would file for sexual harassment and get out of that company. However, this is Tony Stark. And while Tony Stark was a sexist playboy before Afghanistan (I'm assuming you did not find Ironman amusing before he went to Afghanistan?), he has changed. I had no thoughts of sexism or humiliation in mind when writing this. I believe that while Tony's behavior was childish and immature, he's good at heart and had no cruel intentions in mind when doing that to Pepper. And I wouldn't be comfortable writing a story like this if I didn't feel that, and didn't __**firmly**__ condemn sexism. I would compare this to Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen in concept. After all, wasn't Darcy an arrogant, sexist millionaire in the beginning, just like Tony Stark? Most of the humor comes from this behavior, but at the end, we know that he has a good heart (as I reveal in this chapter). While that doesn't make sexism more acceptable, we do use it for humor all the time when we know that later on, that person has changed. Besides, everyone had different tastes in humor, and while I'm sorry that you didn't enjoy this story, please do not see this story as sexist or trying to pass off cruel behavior as humor. _

_However, I really appreciate constructive criticism from all points of view. And thank you to all reviewers—you make my days and my writing process a much less miserable one, as well as faster._

_I realize this note was akin to book, so on with the chapter! There will be a Gift V, even though I intended this to be the last chapter._

It was three weeks since the lingerie accident, and Pepper still wasn't talking. Tony sighed wistfully from under the Hot Rod.

"Still upset about the Pepper thing?" asked Rhodey from Tony's desk. He was looking over the updates for the War Machine that Tony came up with.

"Yeah. She still isn't talking to me."

"I'm not surprised."

"Gee, thanks for the encouragement."

"Yeah, well..."

"I know, I know. What I did was immature and selfish. Honestly?" Tony rolled out from the car and sat up, looking Rhodey in the eye. "I just didn't _think._ I didn't even realize how badly it could hurt her career."

Rhodey snorted. "Dude, you must be on crack. Haven't you realized yet? It's not ruining her career or anything. It's that Pepper doesn't like attention, especially when it's base gossip from her peers."

Tony frowned, and Rhodey sighed. This might take longer than he thought.

"Tony. Listen to me. Pepper's _career_ wasn't affected at all. It was her _pride_. She hates people talking about her, especially because Pepper doesn't like flashiness. She's a homebody, and somebody who just like to mellow out in the background." Tony was still frowning, so Rhodey tried to make a metaphor that Tony could actually understand (for being such a genius, he's quite dense around woman). "She's not an atomic bomb, she's a long range missile."

Apparently, the light bulb went off because Tony started nodding his head slowly. "And I made her seem like an atomic bomb," he said.

"Exactly."

"So how do I fix it?"

"Diffuse the bomb."

Tony snorted. "Rhodey, you don't just diffuse an atomic bomb. An atomic bomb consists of a radioisotope, most likely uranium-35, that-"

"Tony. You get my meaning don't you?"

"Yup."

"And don't think you can charm your way out of this one."

A shadow seemed to cross his face. "And definitely no more gifts," he stated.

"That may have been the smartest thing you've said all night."

"But then what do I do?"

Rhodey chortled at the look of intense concentration on Tony's face. Tony glared at him, and Rhodey threw up his hands in defense. "Listen, just _talk_ to her. Have you even tried to apologize to her; truly and sincerely?"

Tony glared again. "Do you think I'm stupid? I sent her a box of chocolates, dummy."

Rhodey waited until Tony finally got it. "Ooh. You're saying in _person._"

"Thank the Lord, the light has gone on."

"Oh, shut up."

They both went back to work with a solemn silence in the air, when finally Tony broke it. "Rhodey...how do I get her to listen to me when she's not speaking to me?"

"One thing you need to learn about women: they _always_ listen. Always."

"That may have been the smartest thing _you've_ said all your life."

"Shut up, Tony."

"Right."

* * *

Pepper was busy working on some PR still left over from the infamous lingerie accident. Three _weeks_ later. Not only did she have to deal with the _gossip_ in the building, but freaking _paperwork _about it. She had never recalled a time where she was madder with Tony—not even before Afghanistan. She'd go through hell and back for Tony, but this? This was worse. Definitely worse. She left out a huff, watching her bangs fly out of her range of vision and then settling back on her forehead. This whole thing was ridiculous.

She was about to go back to paperwork when she heard a knock at the door. She looked up to her office door to see a rather solemn Tony leaning against the door.

"Hey, Pepper," he quietly.

She rolled her eyes. "What do you want Tony?" she asked in a petulant tone. "Because if its-"

"I'm sorry."

"Tony-"

"Just let me talk, Pepper. I know what I did was awful. I know I shouldn't have done it—it compromised you, your position in the company, and your well-being here. It was irresponsible, stupid, and immature. I have never, ever felt more awful about anything in my life. Well...except maybe not telling you about the whole arc-reactor killing me thing. But Pepper—please, I will do anything, anything to make this up to you."

Pepper closed her eyes. She was too tired for this. She honestly wanted to believe him, she really did...but couldn't he be just saying this to get her talking to him again? After all, Tony acted like a child sometimes (as evidenced), and a child learns to repent just so they can be in good graces.

"Tony...I don't know. I mean..."

"Pepper, please. I will do anything to make this up to you."

"I just...I just don't know."

"Do you not...do you not want to be with me anymore?" Tony sounded scared and vulnerable, something she had rarely seen before.

"No! Of course not," started Pepper. But suddenly, Tony was sprinting right up to her, and kissing her hotly on the mouth. He caressed her mouth with his tongue, making her want him right then and there. Three weeks of chastity and now this? She wanted to melt, right then and there into him. Slowly, though, she regained thought, and pulled away.

"Tony..." she was surprised to hear just how husky her voice had become.

"Mmm, Pepper."

"Tony, no."

He pulled back, pain and concern in his eyes. "What?" His voice almost broke on the soft, whispered word.

"I just need a little more time. I need to clear my head. After all, I've been angry with you for three weeks. It kind of requires a little bit of cooling-down time before I can jump right into a relationship." She smiled.

"So I'm forgiven?"

Pepper nodded, almost laughing at how much joy he could give off into three little words. Tony gave a great shout of happiness, and suddenly Pepper was being lifted up and twirled into the air. He set her down laughing, and gave another whoop. With a huge kiss on the mouth, he shouted, "You won't regret this!" and sprang off into the corridor, leaving behind a smiling Pepper.

* * *

"So, are you and Tony back on good terms?" Natalie asked.

Pepper shrugged. "He apologized, but I told him I need little time to adjust. I mean, I can't just go from hating his guts for three weeks to totally forgetting about it and being all lovey-dovey."

Natalie raised her eyebrows. "That's why you're at the Avengers Base, waiting for Tony to come back from a mission."

"Yeah, okay. But it's not like we're having sex again or anything like that. Besides, I can't spend forever at home waiting for him to come back in one piece. I still love him."

"Maybe you should take revenge?" Natalie winked, and they began to laugh.

"No! I couldn't ever do that to him."

"To hell you can't."

Pepper giggled. "Okay, okay. You've got a point. Maybe, if there's an opportune moment, I'll see. But it's not like me to seek revenge or anything like that!"

Natalie raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, but it is like me." With that, she turned and left Pepper to her thoughts.

* * *

It was perhaps _the_ most boring meeting Pepper had ever attended. They had already been in the board room for three hours, but only four out of ten heads had spoken. It was only worse that all the speakers so far had to tried to make a pass at her. While making a _speech._ Pepper mentally sighed when she felt her stomach growl—thankfully, only loud enough for her to hear. She glanced at her watch. Another two hours until lunch. To make this whole thing worse, Tony was on his best behavior ever since he apologized—which meant no ridiculously inappropriate texts or IM's to make her laugh (as much as she berated Tony for them, they were actually a lifesaver in meetings like these). She looked over at Tony, who smirked at her from across the long table. In about two minutes, it was his turn, and he was ridiculously happy about having wrote his speech and prepared for it all on his own (as opposed to Pepper, who usually wrote about half of it and spent hours trying to get him to practice it).

Suddenly, Pepper realized—she had a lollipop in her purse. Normally not something she would indulge in, especially..._especially_ when Tony would make some lewd joke or try to make a pass at her! Oh yes, this was absolutely perfect. A plan Natalie would definitely approve of.

She discreetly reached into her purse and grabbed it, pulling off the wrapper before turning back around and slipping into her mouth. Mmm. Green apple. She resisted a smile as Tony glanced back at her—and did a sudden double take. He stared, mouth slightly open, but thankfully, no one else noticed.

Pepper pulled it out, seductively licked it, then closed her mouth around it again.

Tony squirmed, and Pepper was delighted to see his neck flush red.

Suddenly her Blackberry vibrated—an IM from Tony.

**Bossman has just logged on to Stark Industries Network**

**Bossman: **Umm. Pepper...are you quite sure that's professional?

**pepperpott: **I have no idea what you're talking about.

**Bossman**: You..._sucking_ on a lollipop. In an uber-important meeting.

**pepperpott:** Jealous, Mr. Stark?

Pepper could see him shiver from all the way across the room.

**Bossman**: Pepper, you realize I have to speak in two minutes. In an act requiring standing up.

**pepperpott**: I'm quite confident in your abilities.

She gave another lick, and affected a smoldering, sexy look at him.

Tony suddenly felt very glad to be sitting down.

**Bossman**: Mercy, please, Pepper. Mercy mercy mercy. Does it satisfy you that I have possibly one of the biggest hard-ons I've ever had in my _life_?

**pepperpott**: Does it satisfy _you_ that I'm wearing the very same lingerie you placed on my desk?

**Bossman**: Pepper...totally unfair. I swear to god I'm going to grab you, run out of here, and spend the next three days ravishing you unless you stop.

**pepperpott**: Oh, no. Looks like it's time for your speech.

**Bossman**: Are you happy now?

**pepperpott**: No. I'd rather have you than a lollipop right now.

Tony gaped at her, and it took three tries for the Head of Security to get his attention.

"Mr. Stark? Your speech?"

"Umm. Yes. Speech. Podium. Got it," he stammered. "Don't suppose I could stay seated for the it?"

The head of security frowned. "And the reason for that would be...?"

"Umm, I got hurt really badly in my leg on my last mission?"  
The head dropped his voice to a theatrical whisper. "Sir, I think it's in the best interest of everyone if you stand."

Immediately, everyone in the board room giggled and tittered—only a withering glare from Tony Stark, Ironman, brought everyone under control.

Tony mentally sighed, but it seemed he had no choice. Everyone was looking at him expectantly.

He was definitely going to have do some laying off.

Tony saw Pepper twirl her lollipop in her mouth with bliss as an awkward Tony walked stiffly up to the podium (made up of a lone microphone on a slightly raised platform), desperately trying to block the view of his raised pants from everyone with his binder of notes.

_Damn it_, he thought. _Why the hell isn't there an actual podium up here? I'm going to have to make some serious changes in this god damned company._

Then, he realized—either reveal to everyone his...or make up a speech, right then and there. And suddenly, he couldn't remember a thing.


	7. Pencil And Eraser

**Pencil and Eraser**

_Author's Note: After Ironman 2. Something to hold you guys over until I finish The Gift V. That being said, it's completely unrelated to The Gift; don't get confused ;)_

Tony knows he should be listening.

But he can't help but stare at the wooden number two pencil in the board member's hand.

And Tony likes pencils.

He likes their simplicity in a world of PDA's and iPads and computers and mechanical pencils and fountain pens.

He likes the unyielding wood that never gives retorts, only works with him—marking and creating designs for this or that. No malfunctions, no back talking, no potential for hacking, no need to create updates for; only reliable wood, at the ready for detailing an Ironman update or some genius idea.

He likes the feel of it—the way it makes him feel like a creator, not a _destroyer. _He'll finds himself holding one, looking at a blank sheet of paper, and all of a sudden, he's creating something.

He likes drawing designs with it—the curve of a line unfolding on paper, the unique movement of hand required to use it, the shapes and lines and designs coming from it, from him. There is only him and it.

The quiet is astounding.

(Don't tell Jarvis.)

He likes the way designers based Pepper's skirt on it; the way the shape outlines her every curve and makes her look so fucking fantastic. It's so delightfully professional and off-limits—the contradiction threatens to give him a hard-on every time he sees her in one.

He likes the way his dad used to hold one. It brings back the memories of his dad, bent over a design, in the dark—only a poorly working desk lamp preventing complete darkness from intruding. Tony used to sit in the near-darkness, just staring at his dad, his hero, create something remarkable, until he felt his mom crouch down next to him and pull him away to bed.

But then, Tony likes erasers, too.

He likes the way eraser and pencil work together perfectly in one contraption—it may be a juxtaposition, but it works.

He likes the way Pepper scrubs the schedule with one (whenever he decides not to go to a super important meeting) until her lap is covered in the little eraser residue, her bangs are errant, and she's huffing adorably in irritation.

(Even though she inevitably is muttering about him afterward.)

He'd like to erase Pepper's anxiety and stress, whether it's because of her work or him.

He'd like to erase pre-Afghanistan. Erase whatever makes Pepper give him a look of caution every time he picks up a glass of alcohol. Erase whatever makes Pepper run to the kitchen anxiously every morning and then smile ridiculously when she realizes he's still there. Erase whatever makes Pepper look at every girl that passes by him with a mixture of detest and jealousy.

(Because as much as Tony knows it's because she loves him, Tony also knows it's mostly because of his own mistakes.)

But without all that...Tony also knows he wouldn't be half as happy as he is now.

Because except for Rhodey, Pepper's the only one who knows his every flaw, his every thought.

And loves him unconditionally anyway.

It's a mystery to him how she does it, but it means all the world to him.

Because he loves her too.


	8. The Gift: V

**The Gift V**

_Author's Note: A reply to Anonymous: I agree with your perception of Tony in regards to that he does act like an ass, but does make up for it. That is why the last chapter is as it is. I'm glad that you see that now and have enjoyed the story more now. I def. understand why you would think that perhaps the lingerie joke was a bit too strong; sometimes my humor can be a bit more callous than other's. Thanks for reviewing—it shows _you_ are not a hot-headed flamer ;)_

_To everyone else: thanks for your review! You keep my world spinning. Enjoy this last installment of The Gift-although, I feel as if the ending doesn't make much sense, writing wise. I might just change it, but for now, just tell me what you think? _

_Btw, who can guess which character from Harry Potter I meant?_

3.14159265358...that awful female goth character from Harry Potter...Danny DeVito...Nick Fury...Afghanistan...

_Holy fuck,_ thought Tony, looking down at his shoes. _This is not working. Not working! _And usually Afghanistan always worked.

And he was pretty sure an actual cold shower wouldn't work either. God knows the mental ones weren't working.

"Right," Tony muttered. The Very Important Crowd was looking at him expectantly, and Pepper was way too amused for her own good.

This was bad. Very bad.

And then:

_ He was turned to steel_

_ In the great magnetic field_

_ When he travelled time_

_ For the future of mankind_

_ Ne ne ne ne ne ne ne na_

_ Ne ne ne ne ne ne ne na_

Tony has never been more grateful for Black Sabbath's Ironman ringtone.

"Right, sorry to cut this short but Ironman is calling. Literally."

Tony walked stiffly but fast off the podium, escaping out of the meeting room and into his office in record time, leaving behind very confused heads of departments and a very delighted Pepper Potts.

When he finally got to his seat in his office and pulled out his phone with trembling hands, he was very confused to see:

**1 Missed Call From Pepper Potts**

**

* * *

**To be honest, Pepper was not a mean person. She didn't like to see suffering, and she definitely didn't like to be the cause of suffering.

But then watching Tony?

That wasn't too bad.

Except...she wanted Tony as something other than comic relief.

She quickly excused herself from the meeting and headed to his office as quickly as she could, grinning in relief as she saw a very confused Tony behind his desk staring at his phone.

She turned to the door, making sure it was locked, then ignored Tony as she walked to the window, turned on the lights, and tinted the windows (don't ask her how it works; she just knew that pressing that small red button on the right tinted them). Twisting the lollipop in her mouth with her tongue, she put her hands on the arms of his chair, and rolled him to the opposite wall. Pepper pulled out her lollipop, and threw it in the bin next to his chair.

"You've been very naughty lately, Tony," said Pepper, and leaned forward, kissing him on the mouth heavily.

"Mmm...promise to punish me?"

"Oh yes, _very_ much so."

* * *

Pepper's secretary has had many strange and mysterious things and days happen to her while working for Pepper Potts. Heck, she's working for the personal assistant of Tony Stark, playboy and Ironman!

But she was sure one of the strangest days that ever happened was the day of that very important meeting—a meeting where Pepper had acted very strangely, and then she and Tony just walked out! And then, when she tried to talk to Pepper about it, she discovered Tony's office door was locked. She didn't even know the door _could_ lock—and the strangest noises were coming from that direction for half an hour.

In fact, she was absolutely _sure_ it was the strangest thing that _would_ ever happen, until a very disheveled Pepper Potts and Tony Stark stumbled out, staring at each other with unabashed lust.


	9. Empty Shells

**Empty Shells**

_Author's Note: A what-if drifting about in my head. After the second movie._

Tony protected himself.

It was a natural human instinct.

Or at least that's what he told himself.

He had been protecting himself ever since his parents had died. Ever since the world came tumbling down onto his unprepared, immature, irresponsible shoulders. Ever since he began using different personas, different pieces of himself at different times. Ever since he wasn't whole. Ever since he was split into so many different people, he didn't even know himself anymore.

There was the childish, immature kid who wanted to go nerd-crazy and live in a house of Legos and Star Wars all his life.

There was the intellectual who would've been content to stay in college for the rest of his life.

There was the adventurer who wanted to go off into the world, without his parent's money or legacy following him.

There was the arrogant prick that was raised on money, would always have money, and would probably die because of his money (in one way or another).

There was the suave business man who could cut any deal he wanted.

There was the humanitarian and philosopher who wanted to give everything away, help the people of the world.

There was the artist who wanted to design and engineer, and just wanted to be left alone.

But for the very same reason that he was split into these pieces, he settled on the easiest persona, the one that didn't require any effort: the playboy who couldn't be bothered with names or personalities or relationships that lasted longer than a single night.

He could say this all changed when he met Pepper, but that wouldn't be true. It was true that he let her see a bit more of these pieces than the rest of the world, but Rhodey and unfortunately, Obadiah, had these pieces too. No, it changed when he dropped down on his knees in front of Rhodey and cried. It changed when he saw Pepper's eyes red from tears. It changed when he saw Happy give him a look of pity.

But then it wouldn't be true to say that that was the sole reason why he was a hero. _That_ was Pepper's doing. Pepper put him back into one, whole man, for the first time in...in too long. _That _changed when Pepper whirled back to him and whispered that he was all she had, too. That whisper had sewn all the pieces back together. That whisper told him what he was doing this Ironman thing right. That whisper told him that he couldn't be selfish anymore. That whisper had somehow done it.

Looking back now, it probably had something to do with the fact that that was when he truly admitted to himself that he didn't just like Pepper Potts...he was absolutely in love with her.

In all the movies and cliches, they often describe the ways a character feels after the love of his life is dead or gone or something like it. They describe it by saying they had been torn into pieces, that half of them wasn't there, that they weren't a whole person anymore...

But that's all bullshit, Tony realized, as Obi whispered to Tony that it would have been better if Pepper had lived. That's all bullshit.

Tony knew what it felt like to be in pieces. And when you're in pieces, when you've been ripped apart in so many ways you don't know who you are anymore, you can always be sewn up again.

No, Tony couldn't be sewn up again. This he knew with startling certainty. Tony was an empty person. He was deviod, deviod of Pepper. He knew that she could never be replaced; he could look as hard as he wanted, search as long as he wanted, be optimistic as long as he wanted...but it wouldn't help. No, Tony decided. If you lose someone, you aren't ripped into pieces; it just sucks away everything you know, until you're left all by yourself, an empty shell forever staring into what could be, what should be.

Yes. An empty shell.

So when the paralysis wore off, he knew it was helpless to try and feel any better. He would always be empty, in some way another. He would never have a complete heart, a complete soul, a complete self. He had lost too much, and the stitches would be getting weaker every day, until one day, when he would completely fall apart.

But Pepper had stitched him up again. Pepper had put his humanitarian, his philosophical, his _good_ side in there. And seeing as how these pieces (and Rhodey, for that matter) wouldn't let him kill himself to be with Pepper, he crawled down the stairs, searching for his heart.

It hadn't occurred to him until later how ironic that was. Searching for his heart.


	10. Beautiful Disaster

**Beautiful Disaster**

_Author's Note: So this was bit less cheery than I meant for the holiday season. Maybe by tomorrow I'll come up with something sweeter?  
Thanks for all the reviews, everybody. You make my world go round! If I haven't replied to you yet, I'm sorry—Christmas break = the laziest time of year for me. _

_BTW—the fact that Tony makes awful pancakes and Pepper lies about it comes from the very wonderful wordsaremyfriends, who deserves your reviews and readership much more than I do. All credit goes toward her for that tiny bit! Please go visit her awesome Ironman stories._

_Thanks to the beautiful Kelly Clarkson for this beautiful song. Unfortunately, I do not own anything. No lyrics, no songs, no movies, and no Tony Stark ("/)._

Afghanistan wasn't the first time something traumatizing had happened to Tony, but Tony Stark wasn't the type to change or get all pansy.

He wasn't the type to need trauma counselors or anything like that, to suddenly change his habits or be in shock or have a life-changing revelation.

Except, in small, small ways, he was that type.

He didn't need counselors, but maybe he needed Rhodey and Pepper (even if he wouldn't admit it).

He didn't suddenly change his habits, he just eased off the alcohol, the recreational drugs, the women. His daily routine adjusted itself, but after that he was (mostly) fine.

He wasn't in shock, he only started to slow down sometimes. He looked at the big things in life. Then the small things. And then, after taking note, he simply moved on.

But then, in big, big, ways, he was that type.

He had a life-changing revelation.

He realized who he was. What he been doing. What he needed to do, from now on.

But even _he_ didn't realize how different he was.

The ones who really noticed, the ones who really saw all that had happened to him, all that had changed, was Rhodey and Pepper. Mostly Pepper.

She was the one who got paged when JARVIS noticed irregular screaming and accelerated heartbeats from Tony's room when he went to bed. (It definitely wasn't sex.)

She was the one who dealt with him all day long.

She was the one who ate the pancakes.

It was the day after Tony had come back from Afghanistan. He had, of course, refused any medical care except for JARVIS's, and so Pepper got to his house an hour earlier than usual to make sure that everything was alright.

She was happy when she noticed there was no bimbette to take care of. She was upset when she noticed Tony.

The day was really just beginning to break, and the living room was mostly dark, except a few streaks of a soft yellow, a burnt orange. For once, there was no music playing, no JARVIS speaking, no welding noises from downstairs. There was occasional wave crashing onto the shore, and the slight noise of Tony and Pepper's inhale and exhale, but the air held only a stillness, a quietness Pepper had never heard before.

And Tony just sat there, quiet and reserved. He wore the darkness around him like a cloak, only letting the yellows and oranges cross his face a few times. It was so still, so dark...

And Tony just sat there, quiet and reserved. He was so thin and so still, Pepper almost worried that he had died or something had happened. Finally, he turned his head, and for a moment Pepper was caught in the panic and pain in his eyes. It was heartbreaking, like watching a small boy who just then had learned of death and pain and sadness. Pepper finally knew what Tony had gone through. What had happened.

He had been a broken man, and Pepper had stitched him back together. But his strings were frayed. He was coming loose, becoming broken again.

Pepper didn't know if she could put him back together again.

Eventually, he turned his head toward the sea again, and Pepper let out a breath she hadn't known she was holding. But Pepper couldn't bear to move.

She waited until the sun had reached such a position that the warm colors struck her face, and then slowly, as if walking towards a dangerous animal, she walked over to Tony.

The sound of her heels was deafening.

He didn't recognize her presence in any way, simply continued staring. But Pepper put her finger under his chin and tilted it toward her so that he was looking into her eyes.

And then softly, softly, she whispered: "You need to take care of yourself."

He nodded a little; went back to looking outside.

Pepper stroked his cheek a little, almost unsure if she should even touch him again considering her boundaries, and walked quietly to the kitchen. Quietly, quietly, she made pancakes, bacon, and eggs.

Quietly, quietly, he ate. Very little, but then more as time went by.

Then he went upstairs, washed, and then went down to his workshop as a more composed Tony. And so they continued, as if nothing had happened.

Quiet and still.

* * *

The next morning, Pepper had arrived at the same time, but instead of finding a dark, still place, she found Tony in the kitchen, lights ablaze, with classical music in the background. He was cooking—cooking! Pepper almost reeled over from shock, but she took it in quietly. Quiet and still.

As she moved to the bar she found there was no place to put her handbag. It was covered in food—piles upon piles of burnt pancakes, bacon, eggs were stacked on plates.

She tried to keep her expression mild. She turned to Tony, asked quietly what this all was. Tony wasn't known for cooking—he always ordered in, or she cooked. She didn't even know he could turn on an oven, let alone make breakfast.

"You told me to eat. I'm eating."

She nodded. What else could she do?

Quiet and still, she took an offered plate, piled on burnt pancakes, bacon, and eggs. And slowly, slowly, quiet and still, she took a bite.

It was, quite frankly, awful.

"How does it taste?"

"Tony, it tastes wonderful."

She had always been an awful liar, but she put her whole heart into it. Put her whole soul into this little lie. She knew this was it: if he didn't believe her, those strings would start unraveling.

He smiled and nodded, and the panic and pain in his eyes subsided a little.

His edges softened.

He let go of a long, sustained breath.

He smiled.

He was beautiful. He was a beautiful disaster.

One she wanted to fix. One she wanted to have. One she wanted to love.

* * *

After that day, it went back to "normal". Pepper began fixing him, bit by bit, and Tony began fixing an armor. An armor to prevent beautiful disasters.

And sometimes, sometimes, it was quiet and still again.

But instead of the sadness and the pain, they made this quiet, this stillness, beautiful. A sort of heaven for them both.


	11. The Red Head

**The Red Head**

It's another club, another one of those days, another series of girls to fuck. The dance floor is pounding under the colored lights, the music, the smoke, the feet of all the young of Malibu. California is a land of perfection, and the women on the dance floor are most certaintly privy to that—perfect boobs, perfect shade of blonde, perfect body. Most of all, they're perfect for a fuck, thinks Tony Stark as he walks in. He is their connoisseur; these perfect, these fake women are his wine (though they aren't always fine). He spreads his arms out, and roughly twenty women flock to him, ready to take his arm. He grins. Charming people is his talent, so why not enjoy it?

He raises his voice above the dance club's music. "Form a line, ladies." They pout, but Tony smirk and claps his hands once. They look at each other in confusion, and Tony gives bothered sigh, and must restrain from just deserting them for the dance floor. The peroxide, after all, must be damaging—he musn't get impatient. He separates them in half, then goes about linking together strings of women—10 holding hands on each side. Once they're assembled in front of him, giggling obnoxiously, he takes the hands of the two at the ends, and they make their way to the dance floor.

They dance and grind their way to another kind of heaven: a dirty, sexual, adrenaline-filled heaven, where the DJ is their God and the dance floor is their pearly gates. Tony makes rotations, and soon the women blur into streaks of blond and brunette, of black or red or white skintight dresses. But he's not complaining—after all, this isn't love he's looking for. He's looking for accommodating body, a luscious evening out, a fuck and a good time.

It's almost a struggle, really—everyone wants closer, closer, closer. As the night wears on, as Tony began drinking more, as the faces get stranger and stranger, the crowd presses closer and closer together.

It's a mindfuck, really, thinking about how animalistic people are sometimes. Passion and sex is violent among this crowd; Tony feels himself making marks on these woman's backs as he digs his nails in, trying to get them closer and closer. He feels other woman's marks too—he isn't alone. The music is a drug, an intoxicating, rushing drug. They've all had a hit, they're all affected the same way.

The only way to get out, to escape, is make one's way to the edge; the precarious, swaying edge, and the only way to do that is get more—dance harder, move harder. The people, the animals, always made the edge the hardest place to get to—more meat for them. More.

It was always more. The people didn't realize—their animalism was caused by a deficiency. One they tried, in vain, to replace.

So Tony doesn't bother—not until the club will close.

Suddenly, though, there's a flash of red—and he's grinding with this red head, a beautiful, curvy red head. Her eyes are a startling brown and her skin is an untainted white—a stark difference from all these tan and blond bimbos. Tony feels his eyes widen, because she's altogether a picture much to close to a certain Pepper Potts.

This one is relentless; she won't let up the grinding, the dancing, the violence. No, instead, she grabs Tony around the neck, pulls him down to her mouth, and suddenly he's making out. Their teeth clash, and Tony can feeling himself going hard.

She pulls away and starts grinding against him, but he's too stunned to respond.

Her eyes, as he pulled away, reminded him too much—too much of the one he really wanted. It broke the scene. Pepper and this club—irreconcilable.

Inconceivable.

Impossible.

Faster than he's ever moved before, Tony makes his way out of the club.

Sweating, he drops his head into his heads once he makes it out into the fresh air of the Malibu night.

Not happening, he thought.

Not happening. It wasn't her. It wasn't her.

Like an addict coming off drugs, Tony's shaking as he climbs into the limo and orders a sleepy Happy to take him home.

He stumbles into bed, once there, and is still shaking, shaking so impossibly hard.

Not good. Not good.

He needed more, more Pepper.

But he didn't have her. No.

It was a stark reality he didn't want to face.

He never brought a red head back home again. He never danced with a red head again. They reminded him too much. They didn't let him escape, as he needed to. They didn't let him be ignorant, as he need to be.


	12. Venice

**Venice**

_Author's Note: Ironman 2, when Pepper refuses to go off to Venice with Tony._

_ Oh, fuck me,_ thought Pepper.

Not only did Tony have all the terrorists and nut jobs of the world after him (as evidenced), and not only did Tony have all the paparazzi after him, he had the the freaking government after him as well.

It was like he didn't have all the sluts in a 50-mile radius in every direction after him, too.

It was like he didn't have shrapnel in chest threatening to kill him.

It was like he didn't have a stupid machine in his chest keeping him alive.

It was like there wasn't a chance that it could implode or someone could rip it out, or God knows what.

It was like he didn't ogle Natalie constantly.

It was like she didn't have to worry about her or even Christine Everhart.

It was like he wasn't acting strangely lately, or like he wasn't isolating himself from everyone again.

It was like he wasn't acting like he when he was creating the original Ironman suit either—secretive, masking...like the persona Pepper saw him put on whenever he was with reporters or whenever he had to be in the public eye.

It _was_ like that, though. And Tony _still_ threw out sexual innuendo in the face of the Senator.

Tony was _still_ nonchalant about _everything_—even though he had nearly been killed, along with Pepper and Happy, out on that racetrack.

The thing was that Tony still didn't have any idea how much it hurt to stand by as she watched him go through all this shit.

The thing was that Tony didn't adknowledge this, that Tony didn't let her help.

The thing was that she couldn't help.

But then, perhaps the worst thing was that she knew she could never help. That, in some situations, she would even hinder him more.

She felt like baggage, like something unnecessary.

That was probably what it was to feel like one of his sluts, she thought. But then, she at least had _some_ responsibilities. At least she had some say in the company. At least she could help him just a little bit—or at least that's what she could say to herself as she watched from the sidelines.

She was terrified, in truth. Terrified she was becoming extraneous. Terrified she was watching the last days of Tony Stark.

To top it all off, she still had that stupid office cold going around.

_Fuck me,_ she thought again.

This was why she refused when Tony offered to got to Venice. At least when she got back to the States, she could start dealing with everything so that it _was_ like he didn't have all those things haunting him. So that it _was_ like she didn't have all those things haunting her.

At least when she got back she could try and get her Tony back.


	13. Pepperoni

**Pepperoni**

_Author's Note: After IM, before IM2._

It was another late night in Tony's living room, and Pepper could feel herself getting exhausted. There was still paperwork piled on the table, though, and she couldn't bring herself to leave. Glancing over at Tony (for once doing some paperwork of his own), she surmised he was rather tired too, judging from the droop of his shoulders.

"I'm going to go make some coffee," she said, interrupting the soft music playing from the speakers. "Do you want some as well?"

"Oof, yes, I'd love some," he said. As she made her way into the kitchen, she watched as he yawned loudly, his arms stretching out and emphasizing his muscular frame.

She watched as he set his arms down again, then followed his torso down. He had really packed some muscle on _after—no_, she thought. _No._ She wasn't going to go down this path. She wasn't going to get shot down like this. He was Ironman, and any moment he'd be gone, and then she just wouldn't be able to handle it. That was that, and she was _not_ going to go around that.

When she finally reappeared in the living room, two large cups of coffee in hand, Tony was perusing a take-out menu on one of his tablets.

"Thanks," he muttered as she set a cup down in front of him. "Now, what would you like to eat?"

"Oh? And since when am I staying for dinner?"

"Since now. Come on, you've always had dinner with me whenever it's been this late."

Pepper was about to argue this, when her stomach rumbled loud enough to make the decision for her—or rather, Tony, who smirked and turned back to his tablet with one of his obnoxious grins on his face.

Pepper narrowed her eyes as she sat down opposite him. "We can finish this tomorrow, though. We don't have to-"

"Please, Pep, don't insult my intelligence. We both know very well that you're just avoiding my lovely self since you've had to do all that PR after the conference. Since when do you not finish all your paperwork in one evening?"

A sigh. "Fine, then."

Tony smiled triumphantly. "Well, then, that's settled. What do you want to eat?"

"I really don't care."

"I have enough anorexic girls working for me, Pepper."

A harrumph. "You know perfectly well that I am _not_ anorexic."

"With a body like that, you could be." A roving gaze.

"With a ogle like that, Mr. Stark, you could be facing sexual harassment suits in a few days."

"I have to get what I can," he smirked.

Sometimes, working for Tony Stark could be infuriating. He was very good at manipulating people—like now, purposely pushing her buttons. In fact, sometimes working for Tony Stark could induce murderous intentions.

Like now.

"Very smooth, Mr. Stark."

But then, Pepper had defense mechanisms to make sure he at least became annoyed.

Tony rolled his eyes. "I'm not my father, you know. I thought working for me for more than 10 years now would be enough for you to learn that Mr. Stark is probably one of the few things I don't like to be called."

He slid forward on the couch, lowered his voice to a husky whisper. "There are a few things that you can call me that others don't have the privilege of calling of me, though."

"Pizza," said Pepper, unaffected (at least on the outside).

As she looked back down on her work, she smiled as she saw Tony give a pout and returned to his tablet.

Score one for Pepper.

* * *

By the time the pizza had arrived, Pepper was starving. She usually preferred making her own pizza, but as Tony gave her a plate, she found herself aching for a piece.

She opened the lids to the cartons nervously, though. With Tony, you never knew what he was going to order. (He once ordered an octopus and pineapple combination. Of course, he hadn't bothered to tell Pepper...)

She sighed with relief, though, when she found he had ordered what seemed to be a meat lovers and veggie lovers.

"Is that choice fine?" Tony asked, returning from the kitchen, and Pepper looked up, startled. She nodded in answer, and he held out a can of beer, but Pepper shook her head. He lifted his other hand and offered a coke, which Pepper gratefully accepted.

Tony settled back on the couch with a sigh and the cracking of his knuckles.

"Ah, looks good," he said, picking up a slice of the meat lovers.

"Mmm," said Pepper in return, as she bit into a delicious veggie lovers piece.

For a while, there was only the sound of papers turning, pens scratching, and the occasional munch on a pizza.

That was when Pepper decided to try the meat lovers.

"Ugh!" cried Pepper, after biting into a piece.

"What? What is it?" yelled a rather startled Tony. He leaped over to her side, ready to give the Heimlich.

"That was disgusting!" she yelled, after finally swallowing/choking down her piece.

Tony stared at her in disbelief with eyes wide for what seemed like two minutes, after which he abruptly started cracking up.

"What?" protested an indignant Pepper.

"Geez, you nearly had me calling 911, Pep, and all it was was an unfavorable pizza!"

"Well, I didn't think it would have pepperoni in it!"

"Honey, it's a meat lovers pizza."

Pepper narrowed her eyes. "Yes, well...I didn't think about that."

Tony chortled, running a hand through his hair. "Just as long as you don't do anything like that ever again. Geez...scared the beejesus out of me."

Pepper sighed. "I'm sorry about making you worry, but honestly, I don't think I'll have any pizza anymore. Ever."

"It was just a piece of pepperoni. Surprising that you hate it so much, considering your name's in it." Tony winked, and Pepper could feel a blush creeping up.

"It has your name in it too, you know," she glared. "If you actually spelled Tony the right way, it would be 'Toni', which would match up with 'oni'."

Tony snorted. "Well..."

Pepper raised an eyebrow. She always won in the game of wit, whether or not Tony considered himself the master.

Tony glared. "Fine, you win."

Score two for Pepper.

Twenty minutes later, though, after more sounds of papers turning and pens scratching, Tony perked up.

"Hey, Pepper?"

"Yeah?" She didn't bother lifting her head.

"Pepperoni is actually Tony and Pepper put together, if you get rid of the 'i' and replace it with a 'y'."

Pepper looked up sharply. "Tony?"

"Yeah?"

"_Not_ funny. Stop laughing."


	14. Slip and Slide: Part 1

**Slip and Slide Part 1**

_AN: For those of you who haven't seen the extras from Ironman, there's a deleted scene where Tony has a party in Morocco and Pepper, who pretty much plays hostess, ends up waking up in the middle of a huge after-party hangover kind of morning. I figure this kind of thing happens often enough, so that's the background to is between Ironman 1 and Ironman 2. Part 1 of a mini-series._

Pepper ran, ran as if for her life. She was almost there, almost there—just a few more yards to go. She could feel the adrenaline racing through her, making her feel jittery, excited and nervous all in one go, but also making her senses go crazy-she was super-aware of Agent Coulson close behind her.

But she couldn't focus on that, not now, not when she had to save him, not when she had to get to Tony—but there! There were the door to the stairs. She reached for the handle, wrenched the door open, began sprinting upwards. She turned each corner as sharply as she could, angling her entire body forward in the attempt to reach the top as fast as she could. After the 20th floor, she stopped, ripped off her Jimmy Choos, and began again, cursing the shoes as she went (and hoping, in the back of her mind, that she could at least retrieve them before the evening was over).

By the 30th floor she began praying for the first time in 10 years.

By the 40th, she began to cry, sobs racking her body.

By the 50th, she was panting so hard she almost couldn't open the door to the roof.

But finally, finally, she wrenched it open, drenched in more sweat that she could have imagined being in. She began running towards the center, running—was she too late? Could she save him? Had Obediah forced Tony to give up his life?

That scum, that disgusting piece of vermin...if Tony had died for him, Pepper was going to bring Obe back somehow, someway; torture him, make him glad he was died, Pepper thought n the back of his mind.

She could feel the panic beginning to build, but there! Pepper had lucked out again. There he was, there he was, Pepper thought. She ran toward him, began to yell.

"Tony! Tony! Wake up!" She searched for a way to pull off the armor, to take it off of him, maybe get some air in his lungs...

But she could see that she was too late—he began to slow his breathing, the reactor wasn't on...she didn't know if she could fix this. It wasn't like this was another meeting she could patch up, another suit she could fix up, another planner she could redo.

This was much more permanent.

She began to scream when Coulson pulled her away.

* * *

With a gasp, Pepper woke up. Disoriented, she wiped her eyes. Tried to make sense of her surroundings.

As her eyes began adjusting the semi-darkness, she groaned. Of course, she had fallen asleep at another one of Tony's parties and just had to have a nightmare. Urgh.

It didn't help that this was the dream she had been trying to outrun for over a year now. Ever since Tony's Ironman stint, this was one of the few dreams she had been tortured by. It was disgusting, really. Not to mention emotionally taxing.

But she shouldn't linger; not when there was so much to be done. Pepper straggled to her feet and straightened her suit (just because the attendees dressed like whores didn't mean Pepper should dress anything less than her usual attire while she worked for Tony). At least she had crashed on the couch, and there was no longer any "visitors" or sleepover guests as Tony had before Afghanistan. Lucky for her, she didn't have to play broomstick anymore.

As Pepper began gathering cups and plates, JARVIS sensed her motions and bid her good morning.

"JARVIS, who ever came up with that stupid idiom is...well, an idiot. There should never be a good attached to morning."

"Ms. Potts, good is neither grammatically nor physically not textually attached to the word morning. Rather, good morning is a-"

Pepper sighed. "I know, JARVIS. Nevermind."

"I try not to," the intelligence system responded. "The time is currently 9:30. This morning is fair, with 20% chance of rain. The median temperature will be 90 degrees, but a fair wind places the feel of the temperature to 80 degrees."

Pepper made a face at the ceiling. Wisely, JARVIS didn't respond, but rather put on a soft classical music track as Pepper made rounds throughout the usually immaculate home.


	15. Slip and Slide: Part 2

**Slip and Slide Part 2**

_Author's Note: Don't miss part 1! _

After Pepper gathered all the cups, plates, and food and dumped them in the trash, she called the maid and made an appointment for 2:30. After nights like these, Pepper knew never to expect Tony to be up before 1:00.

She wandered to the kitchen and began to make a pot of coffee. She needed some before she drove, and Tony always took it as an unwritten rule that there would be some in the pot once he woke up.

As she made her way into the kitchen, though, she was surprised to see that Tony was already up—in fact, he was making _coffee_. Pepper nearly dropped all of the black trash bags in shock—Tony, already up? Tony making his own pot of coffee? She felt her mouth open into an unbecoming expression of surprise, but for the life of her, she couldn't fix it.

Tony grinned. "Glad I was able to give you your morning's excitement," he said.

Pepper smiled, rolled her eyes. "Please, I was just surprised to see you up. Usually you're attached by the hip to your bed until at least mid-afternoon."

Tony mocked shock. "My god, what an exclusive memory you have."

"I'm sure. Anything more important than a need for coffee get you up and running?"

Suddenly Tony's grinned faded, and he looked down, as if caught in the act of doing something wrong. He mumbled something under his breath hurriedly, but Pepper couldn't make it out.

"What is it?" Pepper asked.

"Nothing," Tony said, staring at her intently.

Pepper felt her breath catching, but then looked away and continued taking the trash out. She was all too scared of becoming mesmerized by him. For that, it was too early in the morning.

As she came back into the kitchen to tell Tony goodbye and remind him of that day's agenda, he handed her a coffee cup and instead headed toward the workshop.

"Um, Tony?" she asked.

"Yeah, what's up?" He turned back to her, sipping at his cup.

"I'm not staying, you know. I have to go back home, change...? Besides, you have tons of meetings today, which start in-" she glanced at her watch-"An hour."

Tony rolled his eyes. "Reschedule them, please. I have to update the suit's software."

Pepper narrowed her eyes. "No way! I've been rescheduling them for a month now. There's no way in hell you're getting around these."

"Who in the hell decided to make the party last night, then?"

Pepper gave him a pointed look, crossed her arms.

"Not me," Tony protested.

"Actually, sir, it was you who insisted upon the party last night. Ms. Potts was the one to protest it, upon claims of meetings the next day," JARVIS jumped in.

"Thanks, JARVIS," Pepper said with a grin. "Looks like I win this one, Tony." She turned to leave, grabbing her purse from the kitchen counter.

"But wait! You can't just leave me to fend for myself. Those meetings are so goddamn annoying."

Pepper turned around again. "Tony, for godsake's, your a grown man."

Tony gave his puppy dog face, but Pepper merely crossed her arms and glared at him.

"I'll give you a new pair of Jimmy Choos," Tony pleaded.

Pepper rolled her eyes. "I can get a new pair with my next paycheck. Money isn't going to woo me, Tony."

Tony scoffed. "Please. What about those brand new, 2011 limited edition spring Dynamos you bookmarked on your computer?"

Pepper gasped. "You went into my computer?"

"I have to know how to win you over somehow," Tony grinned. "So what will it be?"

"Express shipping?"

"Of course."

Pepper glared. "Fine. I'll see you at 12:30." She turned once more to leave, but once again Tony intercepted her.

"Wait, the first one is at 11:30! You said an hour from now, and it's 10:30 now."

"Yeah, but I have to shower and change, don't I?"

"Just shower here."

Pepper rolled her eyes. "Tony..."

"Pep, it's not big deal. You have a change of clothes with you in your office here, don't you? With toiletries?"

"Yes, well I try not to shower at my boss's place, thank you very much."

"I have like twenty bathrooms, it wouldn't be a big deal."

Pepper scoffed. "No way."

"Do you want those Dynamos, or not?"

Pepper glared. "This should be illegal," she muttered to herself.

"I know," Tony smirked. "But the puppy dog face always gets them."


	16. Slip and Slide: Part 3

**Slip and Slide Part 2**

_Author's__ Note:_ I realized just know that this is really incompatible with my head canon, where Tony doesn't have any parties after Afghanistan/Ironman other than "occasion" parties. So...this was after Christmas party or some such. :) Part 3! (The last...)

If Pepper was being honest with herself, it wasn't expressly the bribe of new shoes that won her over. If Pepper was being honest with herself, she would have had to admit it. Whenever she had a nightmare like that, she couldn't help it.

It was masochistic, it was horrendous, it was despicable.

But whenever she had a nightmare like that, she couldn't stay away. She had to reassure herself constantly that he was there, so she wouldn't give him the usual cold shoulder when he made some disgusting joke, so she lowered her usual precautions in place when he was there, so she didn't say no to the shower he offered her. She wanted to be as close as possible to him, she wanted to reassure herself that he was alive and breathing and _there_. The same reasoning guided her through his missions, that compelled her to go to the Avengers base and wait for his return.

But she didn't exactly mean _this_ close. She looked up at Tony, and scowled, the towel barely covering her modesty.

* * *

Pepper was innocent in this escapade, though. Wasn't she?

She had went ahead and grabbed her replacement "getting ready" bag (spare toothbrush, hairbrush, etc.) from her office (aka where a normal owner would have an office in the place, but where she had actually commandeered some room in his mansion) and headed for Guest Room #3. (She had cleaned Guest Room #2 much to often to want to spend any amount of time in there...even if those kind of escapades were pre-Afghanistan). Then, she took a deliciously hot shower in a deliciously amazing bathroom that was more like stepping into a vertical jacuzzi than actually showering, leaving her to wonder if she should shower here more often.

When she stepped out, though, she realized that she had left her clothes back downstairs.

_Oh,__ goddamn__it,_she thought. _Now__ I'd__ have __to __go__ back __into __that __stupid __suit.__Wrinkly __and__ smelling__ of__ those __drinks__ he __always __serves __at __these parties__._

But then she had a thought. Tony'd be down in the workshop, and God knows he wouldn't come out of there of his own free will unless a bomb went off just outside the door (and even then she'd have doubts). And she _really_ did _not_ want to get back into the damn suit.

She wrapped herself tighter in the towel, then stuck her head out the bedroom door. "Tony?" she called hesitantly.

No answer.

Louder, this time.

Still no answer.

She closed the door, and this time looked toward the ceiling (in involuntary response when talking to JARVIS—sometimes she felt like she was speaking to God when she talked to him, but don't tell him—or Tony—that). "JARVIS?"

"Ms. Potts."

"I don't suppose Tony is in his workshop?"

"I believe he is."

"Superb. Thank you."

"Is that all?"

"Yes, thanks."

"Welcome as always."

Pepper grinned, then opened the door back up, and walked the stairs, still tentatively, on her tip-toes, despite the assurances from JARVIS. She looked up—and all of sudden, saw Tony sprinting up to her.

* * *

After that, it was like everything was in slow motion.

Tony was merely going up the stairs—he had heard Pepper call for him, hastily shut all his equipment down (he was working rather ardently on the suit), and made for upstairs. He was halfway up before he spotted something rather like a half-naked, towel-wrapped Pepper on his staircase.

He blinked, stunned, gaped, and made some rather undignified sounds. He got as far as "Ummm" before he realized that his equally shocked Pepper had started to step backward, before slipping on the stairs behind her, and sliding down the stairs, screaming the whole way, before picking Tony up on the way and leaving them to tumble down the stairs. They landed with Tony on top of her, though that was rather vague considering there was rather a mess of limbs.

"Get. Off," she growled.

* * *

Tony had his eyebrows raised and his mouth opened in shock. Her words jarred him, though, and he returned to reality. He wiggled his eyebrows lewdly, and, in a sing-song voice, replied.

"Nope."

"Okay, Tony, seriously. Now. Before I take the suit and melt it in a volcano of your choice," said Pepper, as if talking to a child, slow and deliberate.

"What about...no."

"TONY!"

"Pepper."

"Off."

That was when he kissed her.


End file.
